


Wild Witch

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Backstory, But I couldn't resist writing this, Gen, canon will probably do something different eventually, young!eda clawthorne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26181331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: While on a trip with her classmates to the Knee, Eda wanders off and finds a strange, ancient tree.Later, after being cursed, she returns there and meets her Palisman.
Relationships: Eda Clawthorne & Owlbert
Comments: 5
Kudos: 77





	Wild Witch

‘Bored’ cannot begin to describe how Eda feels right now. _Excruciatingly_ bored comes a little closer, but she doesn’t think the added adjective does enough to truly express the soul-crushing, utter boringness she’s currently being forced to endure.

Eda tromps after her classmates.Not even the way her boots sink into the deep snow of the Knee is fun.It can’t be.It’s not _allowed_ to be fun.Nothing on this whole stinking field trip is.The class is only here to learn the consequences of doing magic the ‘improper’ way.To witness, as upperclassmen closing in on their graduation, the reason why the coven system came to be.

Wild magic only leads to destruction, _ruin_ , their guide told Eda and her class at the beginning of the tour.Just look at the ancient, abandoned structures all around them.If the covenless witches who built them were really so powerful, their creations should have endured to this day.Not fallen to pieces.

Eda had wanted to call out that _anything_ can start to decay if left long enough (she’d learned a very valuable and intriguing lesson from leaving her socks unwashed for too long, nurturing the fungus that grew on them, and then watching the fungus crumble to dust after she lost interest in the endeavor and forgot to take care of it).Lilith, from her place at the very front of the class, had shot her a pleading glance, so Eda hadn’t.

Like anything Eda could do at this point could jeopardize their acceptance into the Emperor’s Coven.They’re the most powerful witches in their class, in all of _Hexside_!There’s no way they’ll be denied entry.Especially for something as unimportant as heckling a field trip tour guide.Still, Eda knows this trip is important to Lilith.So, just this once, she won’t cause trouble.

Out of the corner of her eye, Eda catches sight of something shiny.She looks up to see an icicle glittering in the sunlight. _Don’t mind if I do_ , Eda thinks to herself.One quick look at her classmates tells her no one’s paying attention to her.Not even Lilith, who’s deep in discussion with the tour guide over one of the many questions she prepared before coming on the field trip.Eda smirks.She waits until the group rounds the next bend, and then begins climbing up the decrepit remains of an arch to reach her delicious snack.

It’s not a hard climb.Getting up the wall of Hexside to Principal Bump’s office to dump unidentified demon eggs she found out in the woods in his desk drawer had been much more difficult.Eda grins. 

She gets close enough to the icicle, reaches a hand out for it, and _slips_.

Eda yelps.Her feet lose their purchase.She scrambles for anything to hold onto.It’s not a massive fall to the ground—she’s fallen from much higher heights—but she still doesn’t want to land on her butt.The fingers of her left hand manage to grab hold of some kind of ancient statue thing adorning a flatter stone that must’ve once been at the top of the arch, but has long since slid from its revered position.She hangs onto it, trying to pull herself back up into a stable position.

The statue, which is probably a rendition of some kind of animal but time and deterioration have made its details indiscernible, cracks off its post under pressure.Eda has only a second to realize what’s going to happen before she falls.

At least the thick snow cushions her landing.Eda glares at the statue, now in her hand.“You’re just lots of help, aren’t you?” she mutters at it.Eda puts the statue down, sits up, and brushes herself off.She’s no worse for wear.Although she doesn’t have her icicle, and she should probably try and catch up with the group rather than try for it a second time.

Eda reaches to pick up the statue again.She’s certainly not going to leave this endeavor empty-handed.The statue isn’t where she left it.She blinks, stares at the indenture in the snow with nothing in it.It’s a _statue_ , where can it even go?

A few feet away from Eda, closer to the cliff face, apparently.Assuming her prize simply rolled away, Eda stands and goes to retrieve it.When she reaches it, something else draws her attention.Another arch.This one sculpted into the the cliff itself.And, at its very top, is a carving similar in form to Eda’s statue.Its equally indiscernable when it comes to figuring out what it is exactly too.

That’s not the interesting part, not really.Eda may be in the Potions Track at Hexside, but she’s still adept enough at the other types of magic to recognize a casted spell.An illusion, in this case.Over the part of the cliff enclosed by the carved arch.Eda narrows her eyes.She approaches.Reaches out a hand to touch the cool stone.

Her eyes widen when her hand goes through, seemingly _into_ the cliff.Eda pulls her hand back out.She hesitates, thinks about it, and then puts it through again.She giggles.Repeats the process a couple more times for the fun of it.This is definitely better than some lame tour.

Eda takes a deep breath, and then plunges her full body through the concealed entryway.It’s completely dark on the other side.She doesn’t worry.She’s a powerful witch.A light spell is no problem.

With a bright, little orb floating above the hand she’s not carrying the statue in, Eda steps deeper into the secret cave she’s found.A passageway winds into the unknown in front of her.Of course, she sets off to discover what’s at its end.

After a minute or two, the passageway opens up into a wide, circular chamber without a roof.Rays of sunlight shine down from above onto a peculiar looking tree positioned exactly in the center of the chamber.Eda stares at the tree.Despite having a plethora of light, fertile dirt, and protection from the elements, none of its branches have any leaves.They’re completely bare, gnarled, and full of odd shaped knobs.

“Well, you’re just an oddball, aren’t you?”Eda tells the tree with a smirk.She approaches to investigate further.It wouldn’t be a very fun tree to try and climb, she decides.Not enough space to move between the branches.

Without thinking, Eda places a hand on its trunk.Nothing actually happens, but it _feels_ like something has.It’s like something inside Eda has been unlocked, set free.She inhales a deep breath, trying to stem off rising panic.Maybe coming here was a bad idea.She doesn’t want to end up cursed, or worse.

“EDALYN!Edalyn, where are you?”Lilith’s voice bounces down the passageway to Eda.

Relieved to have an excuse to leave, Eda removes her hand from the tree and runs back the way she came.

On the exact spot Eda held her hand on the tree, the wood shifts and morphs.Pieces of bark crack and fall.Finally everything settles.There’s a face in the tree now.One of a slumbering owl.

Usually the witches who come to the Palisman Tree claim their staffs immediately, but this is the first time it’s been visited in years and years.The tree doesn’t mind waiting a little longer.

* * *

The wind howls.Snow flurries.The world around the young witch is completely whited out with the storm.

Eda shivers.She pulls her thin cloak tighter around her.The cold seeps into her regardless.Whether that be because the poor quality of the clothes she’d scavenged or because of her new curse, she doesn’t know.She hates this.She hates everything.

She feels along the cliff face with a hand.It’s a longshot, but that secret cave she found way back when, during that one field trip, could provide some desperately needed shelter to her now.

Eda doesn’t know what it is exactly that drew her back to the Knee.It certainly wasn’t easy getting here.It just _feels_ like a place she needs to be at.It’s not like she has anywhere else to go, anyway.Staying home means potentially hurting her loved ones when the owl beast takes control again.The people of Bonesborough think she’s a monster too.Eda has accepted that she’s homeless.

Her hand goes from running along the cliff to plunging into it.Eda sighs, relieved.Inside the secret cave passageway, out of the path of the wind and the snow, things are slightly better.Even though it means going somewhere without a ceiling, and therefore more susceptible to the weather, she heads towards the chamber with the twisted, gnarly, leafless tree.

The chamber is lighter than the passageway, due to its ceiling opening.Its high walls keep out the storm, which is nice.Eda meanders over to the tree, determined to sit against its trunk while she figures out what to do next.She’s a weirdo now.The tree’s also weird. 

“Us weirdos have to stick together, right?”Eda quietly tells the tree.

What she sees in the tree’s trunk stops Eda from sitting.It almost looks like an owl’s face?A sleeping one.She’s fairly sure that it wasn’t here during her first visit.She would have remembered it.She reaches out a hand to it, traces her fingers over its dips and valleys.

Golden-yellow light gleams wherever her fingertips brush across the bark.Eda’s breath catches in her throat.She has no time to wonder.A brilliant flash momentarily blinds her.

_Hooo.Hooo._

Something small flies circles around Eda.She blinks the spots out of her eyes so she can see it.Eda gasps.The small, _very cute_ owl stops its circling to hover it front of her face.For a moment, all they can do is stare at each other, entranced.Then, Eda holds out her hand to allow the owl to perch on her wrist, which it— _he—_ does.

“I think I’m going to call you ‘Owlbert’,” Eda tells her Palisman.She knows there’s no reason why she should think that the owl is hers, but she knows he is.It feels right to give him a name.The owl hoos happily at her.Eda knows she’s right.

“I suppose you need a better perch than my wrist, huh?”Gently Eda shakes Owlbert off.He flutters up to settle on her shoulder.“Maybe one that reminds you a little of where you came from?Everyone needs something to remind them of home.”She reaches for one of the lower, smoother, least knobby tree branches.With magic, Eda carefully breaks it off the tree and fashions it into a simple staff.

When she’s done, Owlbert spreads his wings and swoops over to land and interlock with the newly formed magical staff.There’s another flash of blinding light and he’s gone.A frozen, statuesque owl atop Eda’s staff replaces him.Eda frowns.Sure, having a staff is nice and everything, but she really, really liked having some company.

As if reading her thoughts, Owlbert twists and emerges from his staff form.Eda can’t help but grin.She lets out a relieved laugh.Owlbert flies up to rub his cheek against hers.

Eda tucks her staff under one arm and cups her hands so Owlbert can land on them.She holds him before her face.

“What do you say to you and I going on a big adventure?”She asks him.The world feels less cold and desolate.Less scary.Eda can feel her magic, wild now, coursing through her.She knows she’s barely scratched the surface of what she can do.With Owlbert, she feels like she can accomplish anything she can dream of.

Owlbert hoos his agreement.

Together they set off into the unknown, on a path that will lead them to becoming the most powerful pair on the Boiling Isles.


End file.
